Como captain Da Cunha and Inter man Diouf on Zidane’s France long list
COMO, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 10: Lucas Da Cunha of Como 1907 reacts during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD1 match between Como 1907 and RB Leipzig at Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium on September 10, 2026 in Como, Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)
New France coach Zinedine Zidane is keeping a close eye on Serie A, reportedly preparing Como captain Lucas Da Cunha and Inter winger Andy Diouf for international duty.
Zidane took over from Didier Deschamps after Les Bleus took fourth place in the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
His debut will be in the Nations League against Vincenzo Montella’s Turkiye on September 25, then Belgium on September 28, with Italy completing that group.
Zidane targeting Da Cunha and Diouf
According to the French media, Zidane plans to bring in numerous new faces to bolster his squad, and has them on alert in case they are in the final list.
These include Como captain Lucas Da Cunha, who played for France at Under-19 level, but is now 25 years old.
As the name would suggest, he has joint French and Portuguese citizenship, and has been at Como since January 2023, seeing them climb from Serie B all the way to the Champions League.
Another new figure scouted from Serie A is 23-year-old Diouf, who struggled in his first season at Inter, but is flourishing this term in that wide right role.
He already has two caps for France in the 2024 Olympic Games, along with several different youth levels.
The pre-list has around 50 names, so it is by no means certain they will be called up for the Nations League matches, but they are on Zidane’s radar.
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